UNDISCLOSED LOCATION -- The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing receives dozens to hundreds of packages every day. Each one has to be inspected, unloaded, sorted and processed before it can reach the airman to whom it is addressed. Dealing with the workload requires the efforts of Postal Mail Clerks and numerous volunteers.
The Post Office relies on volunteers “so that we are able to get the truck unloaded, processed and on the shelves in time for the office to re-open,” says Airman 1st Class Aubernae McCall, Postal Mail Clerk. “Having those extra hands to help us put them on the shelves makes it easier to run the office to maximum efficiency.”
They typically ask for four or five volunteers for shipments of under 100 packages, or six volunteers if shipments contain 100 or more.
Care packages come in from friends, family members and other loved ones all over the country, and are considered a big contributor to unit morale.
“My favorite part of my job is… processing the mail from the members shipping things home to their families or to their friends. I get to hear so many stories from the members and it is amazing hearing the many different paths so many people have taken in their personal and career lives,” says McCall. “It’s amazing to me how I have been able to relate and bond with customers over mail. It’s exciting!”
Unit airmen who volunteer for additional duties for over 50 hours may receive a challenge coin and letter of appreciation from their wing commander.